Final results posted by the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office on Nov. 19 confirmed the passage of a $7.18 million construction referendum proposed by the Upper Freehold Regional School District Board of Education.
Initial results posted after the Nov. 6 election showed the referendum passing by a count of 2,123 “yes” votes to 2,068 “no” votes. Board President Patricia Hogan said at the time, that the board was “cautiously optimistic about the unofficial results.”
Two weeks later, the final results showed the referendum passing by a count of 2,149 “yes” votes to 2,101 “no” votes.
“At this time, the members of the Board of Education and the administration are happy to announce that the referendum has officially passed,” Hogan said on Nov. 20. “It is our intention to be completely transparent with the process of securing the bid specs, contractor bids, hiring licensed and qualified contractors, and completing the projects in a timely and cost-effective way.
“It is not lost on the board that the referendum passed by a very narrow margin. We will be respectful of our communities’ concerns with regard to costs of each and every project. We will provide regular updates via Facebook Live as the project progress. We appreciate the support of our communities and respect that this was not an easy decision for our residents and parents,” Hogan said.
Voters in Allentown passed the referendum by a count of 502 “yes” to 408 “no.” Voters in Upper Freehold Township defeated the referendum by a count of 1,693 “no” to 1,647 “yes.” The total vote determined the passage of the question.
The results include ballots cast at the polls on Election Day, mail-in ballots and provisional ballots. A provisional ballot is cast at a polling location if a question arises about an individual’s voting eligibility. It took election officials 13 days to review and count all ballots.
The referendum proposed by the board consisted of three components that administrators said are necessary for the school district:
• Roof repair and replacement at Newell Elementary School, Allentown High School and Global Learning Center and Vo/Ag building, $5.86 million. Administrators said the roofs are at the end of their useful life, are no longer under warranty and patches are beginning to fail. A new roof would come with a 20-year warranty and approval of a new roof would eliminate roof maintenance costs in the district’s annual budget;
• Emergency generator at the Newell Elementary School, $203,125. Administrators said a generator would increase student safety and security, provide additional lighting in corridors and stairwells, provide lighting in restrooms during extended outages and provide power to the elevator;
• Auditorium repairs at Allentown High School, $1.12 million. Plans call for repairing the stage floor, upgrading aging electrical systems, repairing lighting systems and fixtures, and replacing an unreliable sound system. Administrators said the systems date back to 1964.
The estimated interest on the referendum projects is $3.25 million, for a total cost of $10.438 million. State funding in the amount of $3.549 million is expected, leaving taxpayers in Allentown and Upper Freehold with an obligation of $6.889 million, according to district administrators.
With the passage of the referendum, the owner of a home assessed at the Allentown average of $290,270 is expected to pay an additional $71 per year in school taxes for 20 years. The owner of a home assessed at the Upper Freehold Township average of $473,400 is expected to pay an additional $115 per year in school taxes for 20 years, according to Business Administrator Margaret Hom.
